This Budget looks set to be more car park than roadmap October 23, 2024 You have probably read at least two dozen columns speculating on where those tax rises of doom are going to land in next week’s budget, so I’m not sure there is much more to say on the big topics of contention. We’ll find out soon enough whether employers’ National insurance (NI) really will go up, [...]
Borrowing to invest is all very well but what about value for money? October 23, 2024 The precise contents of the budget are still secret. But a widely trailed theme is that the Chancellor, Rachel Reeves, wants to create as much scope as possible for extra public sector investment. She appears to be willing to rewrite the existing fiscal rules in order to accommodate the increase. In principle of course there [...]
Scrapping Ofwat could be considered by new water sector commission October 22, 2024 Scrapping watchdog Ofwat could be considered by a new independent commission on the water sector as ministers aim to attract investment into the industry. Ministers have launched the largest review of the sector since it was privatised, with the commission set to be chaired by former deputy Bank of England Governor Sir Jon Cunliffe. It [...]
Sony Music ramps up push into gaming October 22, 2024 Sony Music is doubling down on a push into gaming by embedding its music technology across the sector following a string of acquisitions it hopes will boost fan engagement and open new revenue streams for both the company and its artists. During its Immersive Tech Day in London on Tuesday, the digital entertainment giant showcased [...]
The FII Institute’s PRIORITY Compass Global Citizen Survey: A Blueprint For Tomorrow October 22, 2024 In 2022, the Future Investment Initiative (FII) Institute embarked on a mission to collate data on what are the most pressing concerns of the majority of the world’s population through the inception of the FII PRIORITY Compass, its global citizen survey. The survey’s role is to help world leaders and decision-makers identify and thereby address these concerns. [...]
Starmer should make trade with Saudi Arabia a top priority October 22, 2024 The UK and Saudi Arabia have long cultivated strong ties. A bilateral trade relationship represents trade in goods and services between the two of a significant £17.6 billion for the 12 months to the end of Q1 of 2024.* Crucially, the Saudi government is investing billions into the UK economy through the Saudi sovereign wealth [...]
Jeremy Hunt: Upping employer NI would be an ‘absolute disaster’ for economy October 22, 2024 Increasing employer national insurance contributions in the Budget would be an “absolute disaster” for Britain economically, Jeremy Hunt has warned. “I’m really worried that Labour is going to trash an economy, which has better growth prospects than it has for many years,” the shadow Chancellor told the Financial Times in an interview. On the prospect [...]
Andrew Bailey: Regulators must not be complacent on shadow banking threat October 22, 2024 Andrew Bailey, Governor of the Bank of England, warned regulators need more tools to deal with threats to financial stability today as he sounded the alarm on the “opaque” nature of the ‘shadow banking’ sector. In a speech at Bloomberg’s Global Regulatory Forum in New York, Bailey drew attention to the systemic risks posed by [...]
This will change how you think of Morocco October 22, 2024 THE LOCATION When the Portuguese landed on the stony face of the Atlantic coast in the early 16th century, they stopped at El Jadida, a Moroccan port just an hour south of Casablanca. To protect trade routes between Europe and Asia during their two-and-a-half-century occupation, they built a stronghold known as Mazagan. The centrepiece of [...]
Ex-Abercrombie & Fitch boss arrested and facing sex trafficking charges October 22, 2024 The former boss of fashion giant Abercrombie & Fitch and his British partner have been arrested and face sex trafficking charges. A spokesperson for federal prosecutors in the US said ex-chief executive Mike Jeffries, his partner Matthew Smith and a third man, Jim Jacobson, were arrested on Tuesday morning. The trio are alleged to have [...]
